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Baltimore, MD – The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) was saddened to hear the news of Earl Foreman’s passing. Foreman served as the original MISL Commissioner from 1978 to 1985. He was brought back to lead the league in 1989 for one season.

“Currently, the MASL is the highest level of professional arena soccer in the world. There are nearly 350 players spread across two countries and 17 teams currently playing in the league, and we owe it all to the early pioneers of the game like Earl Foreman. Without his vision and intellect surrounding the marketing of arena soccer, we wouldn’t be here today,” said Josh Schaub, current MASL Commissioner.

Foreman was a visionary that saw the excitement created by the NBA and figured out a way to translate that to soccer. He helped to place the original 11 teams into the league and saw it grow into the top level of professional soccer in the United States by the late 1980’s.

“I met Earl Foreman in 1988 when I first bought the Baltimore Blast soccer team to keep them from going to Cincinnati. He was the Commissioner of the soccer league. Being a sports fan, I knew that he was the founder of the indoor professional soccer league with Ed Tepper. He was the co-owner of the American Basketball Association and was part owner of the Philadelphia Flyers, Baltimore Bullets, and Virginia Squires, when he drafted Julius Erving (Dr. J.). Needless to say, he was a legend and a true icon in sports,” said Baltimore Blast owner Ed Hale.

“Most of all, he was my friend along with his wife, Phyllis. I had the honor of speaking at his 90th birthday party. I’ll miss all his advice and counsel and mostly, his friendship.”

He is survived by his wife and their three sons, Scott, Ronald, and Stuart; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.